There aren’t many sailing cobles left, and so it’s great to see that the The Three Brothers is on the water in the harbour at Bridlington, and being sailed and cared for by Brid’s own Bridlington Sailing Coble Preservation Society. Built in the town in 1912 at a cost of £75, for many years she was a fishing coble as well as a pleasure vessel during the summer. Cobles converted readily to motor power, but The Three Brothers is now refurbished as a traditional East Coast sailing coble and is sailed regularly by local Naval cadets and members of the Society.
For more on the Society:
http://www.bscps.com/
If you can add to this story – perhaps links to more photos, details of the restoration or the boat’s history – please email us at gmatkin@gmail.com . It would be great to be able to add something to what’s currently online.
Tag: naval
A busy yard with some great projects to its name – and many more to come
Newson’s boatyard stands by Oulton Broad in Lowestoft, Suffolk – that is, right on the East Coast of England and at the gateway to the Norfolk Broads.
Restoration is only one part of the company’s business, for it is also a boatbuilder in wood, steel and fibreglass, makes masts, and undertakes surveys and engine installations. Nevertheless, Newson’s has surely done some terrific boat and yacht restoration projects of various sizes, and the company has kindly promised to let us publish some of their photos over time.
Just for a start, though take a look at the William & Kate Johnston (pictured below), and then take a look around for a taste of what’s to come from this yard:
http://www.newson.co.uk
This is where it is:
www.multimap.com
Launched in 1923, William & Kate Johnston was designed as a prototype lifeboat by James R. Barnett, Consulting Naval Architect to the Royal National Lifeboat Institution, and at the time of her launch she was the largest lifeboat in the world at 60ft in length. She was built with a double diagonal teak hull by J. Samuel White and Co at Cowes. For more on her:
http://www.william-kate-johnston.co.uk
If you would like to see your yard, project or boat listed here, please email us at gmatkin@gmail.com . There’s no charge, and no catch.
A new lease of life for an old steam tug
ST Kerne was originally built in 1913 and named Viking but even before she was launched, she was sold to the Admiralty and re-named the Terrier and went to work in Chatham and on the Medway.
She then went in 1948 to J P Knight who operated her on the Medway for another year under her new Gaelic name Kerne before being sold on again to a firm in Liverpool where she worked as a lighterage tug until her retirement in 1971.
During 1970 and 1971 a group of steam enthusiasts bought Kerne before she went for scrap and restored her. She is now an extremely rare example of the once common estuarial-dock tug and a living reminder of early 20th century naval architecture.
For more on ST Kerne:
http://www.tugkerne.co.uk